I'll Cover You
by surferscout
Summary: They thought their relationship could withstand anything. Then again, they never thought this would happen. Carly/Sam Cam Femslash.
1. Kiss Kiss

I'll Cover You

The apartment was empty, a lull slowly creeping over the space. It was silent, except for the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock. Spencer was gone, and had tacked a note to the outside of the door saying that he would be back after he finished grocery shopping. The minute hand of the clock moved from 2:59 to 3:00.

Carly and Sam burst through the door, giggling madly about Ms. Brigg's new haircut. Sam quickly dropped her bag on the wood floor and charged for the kitchen.

"Slow down," Carly laughed, grabbing her best friend's hips and pulling her toward herself. Sam looked disappointedly at the kitchen, then back at Carly.

"Spencer's gone." Carly was almost as hungry for Sam as Sam was for the leftovers in the fridge. However, Sam quickly forgot her desire for food as she was pulled to the sofa by Carly.

Carly pushed Sam onto her back and climbed on top of her. Their hips grinded together for a moment, turning them on even more. Carly and Sam were immediately lost in a deep kiss, and Carly pinned Sam's arms above her head for added effect.

Carly pulled away to stare into the blonde girl's eyes. Sam looked like she was in heaven, and was only a little confused as to why Carly had stopped kissing her.

Carly slowly started to kiss Sam's jaw, then moved to her neck, gently licking and biting the soft skin. Sam released a low moan. She knew that Carly always got everything she always wanted, and right now she wanted—

"You," Carly breathed in Sam's ear, causing the other girl to shiver. "Are amazing." Carly nibbled at Sam's pulse point, causing the cage full of butterflies in Sam's stomach to burst open. Carly intertwined her fingers with Sam's for what seemed like only a few second before the dark-hairedgirl's hands moved to Sam's shirt.

Carly slowly slid Sam's shirt over her head. Sam was wearing a pink and green polka-dotted bra, which earned a chuckle from Carly. "Never seen this one before."

Sam smiled too, then, in a sudden rush of boldness, flipped Carly onto her back and straddled her. Sam immediately pulled off her friend's shirt. Carly looked a little taken aback, but was enjoying it nonetheless.

Sam started to slide her hand behind Carly's back, kissing her all the while, in search of Carly's bra hook.

"Whoa, slow down," Carly laughed lightly; however, her breathing was growing heavier by the second, and she knew she didn't want Sam to slow down at all.

"What can I say?" Sam was kissing Carly's exposed stomach, her hands still fumbling with her best friend's bra. "You like it slow, and I like it—"

Carly gasped as she felt her bra snap open. Sam grinned and made to ease off the offending article. However, Carly had ideas of her own. Carly once again flipped Sam over so she could be on top of the blonde girl. Carly was pleased to find that Sam's fun-colored bra unhooked in front.

Just as Carly was licking a line from Sam's belly button to her bra, her phone, which was on the coffee table, started vibrating.

Carly looked apologetically at Sam, who swore under her breath. Carly picked up the rhinestone-covered cell phone.

"Hello?" Carly sounded breathless. She was still topless, and her eyes scanned the room for her shirt.

"Hello, is this Carly Shay?" Carly didn't recognize the voice on the other end. It was male, and sounded heavy, flat, and tired.

"Yes, I'm Carly Shay." Sam was now sitting on the side of her, playing with her hair and blowing in her ear. Carly swatted Sam away, but the other girl was way too turned on to think about anything but Carly.

"I'm afraid I have some…bad news." The voice was definitely growing more emotional, although it seemed to sound even more tired.

"Who is it?" Sam whispered in Carly's ear, her hands roaming Carly's body. Carly, however, remained sitting up.

Carly covered the mouthpiece and turned to Sam. "It's some dude who says he has bad news." Sam could see confusion and the beginnings of fear clouding her friend's dark eyes.

"You're the sister of Spencer Shay?" Something in Carly's stomach tightened.

"Y-yes…?" Sam had abandoned her attempt to coax Carly back into their heated make-out session and was looking at Carly with concern.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but there's been an accident." Carly's heart skipped a beat.

"Is Spencer okay?" Carly was on the verge of yelling, but she didn't care.

"It was a car accident," the man continued, ignoring Carly's question. "Your brother got…hurt real bad. He's being taken to Greenlake Medical Center. Is there another adult you could—"

"I'll be fine," Carly sounded a little hysterical. The last thing she wanted to do was call an adult. She just wanted to see Spencer.

"Okay, well, ah, he's going to be in room 206. I can get you the number—"

"No, it's okay, I'll look it up." Carly hung up the phone.

The second hand on the clock ticked four times before Carly burst into tears. Sam, still shirtless but no longer focused on making out, wrapped her arms around Carly.

Carly's voice sounded squeaky as she sobbed out, "Sam…Spencer…accident."

"Shhh, it's okay. I'm here." Sam's voice, usually loud and sarcastic, sounded soft and soothing. She tucked a strand of Carly's hair behind her ear.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Freddie," Carly groaned. "I invited him over after school."

"Go away nerd," Sam yelled instinctively. Carly smiled faintly through her tears.

Surprisingly, the knocks at the door stopped.

"Oh God, Sam, what am I gonna do if he's—"

Sam put her finger to Carly's lips. She pulled Carly into a tight hug. "Don't worry," she whispered into Carly's ear. "I'll cover you."


	2. How To Save a Life

Three days passed. Carly had spent her entire weekend either sleeping or on the phone with doctors, who kept telling her not to come visit Spencer in the condition he was in. It was now Monday, Sam's least favorite day of the week. The girls had spent the past three nights sleeping at odd angles on the couch; this morning, Carly woke up to find Sam's feet in her face. The blonde was snoring lightly, and Carly didn't have the heart to wake her up.

Carly walked into the kitchen and made coffee. As she was doing so, Sam said from the couch, "We don't have to go to school today, do we?"

Carly shrugged. "No."

Sam turned over. "Good."

"We're not going to school because I want to see Spencer."

Sam sat up. "I thought the doctors told you not to go over there."

Carly sighed. "Sam, I have to go visit my brother. He's always been there for me when something bad has happened."

Sam shook her head. "They said he's in pretty bad shape—"

"I don't care. Look, Sam, I'm going, and you can come if you want to. The end."

Sam thought for a moment. "Okay, I'll go. But you know I hate blood."

"Okay, well, we'd better leave now." Carly, ignoring Sam's last statement, took a few sips of coffee and grabbed her purse.

"What, no breakfast?" Sam was already wearing jeans and a t-shirt; neither girl had bothered to change into pajamas the night before.

"We can grab a smoothie on the way." Carly was out the door before Sam could say another word.

--

"You don't understand; I have to see him!" Carly stood in the waiting room of the hospital, arguing with a doctor. He was wearing scrubs and had a surgical mask over his mouth. He looked at his clipboard and shook his head.

"Sorry, Miss. He's in treatment for another two hours. Anyway, shouldn't you be in school?" The doctor glanced at his watch.

"No. I'm here for Spencer!" Carly was almost screaming.

The doctor sighed heavily. "Well, you can wait here if you want, but I can't guarantee you'll be allowed into his room."

Carly looked disappointed as the doctor walked away. Sam instinctively placed her arm around Carly, and Carly's head found a place on Sam's shoulder. They sat like this for two hours, occasionally talking. Once in a while, Sam plucked a tissue from the box on the end table and dried the tears that periodically rolled down Carly's cheeks.

Finally, a nurse entered the waiting room. She stared down at her clipboard for a moment, then said loudly, "Carly Shay?" The nurse looked around the entire room, even though Carly and Sam were the only ones present.

"Yeah?" Carly and Sam both stood up at the same time. Sam's hand quickly grabbed Carly's and squeezed. The nurse stared at their hands for a moment, then smiled awkwardly.

"Come with me." The nurse signaled for Carly and Sam to follow her down a long hallway and into a small room.

Carly gasped. There were at least eight doctors and nurses in the room, all crowding around a bed in the center. Various machines buzzed and hummed, and the heart monitor beeped steadily.

The doctors instantly parted to allow Carly to stand at the foot of the bed. She had never seen Spencer like this before. He was pale, thin, and…not moving.

"What's wrong with him?" Carly had intended to say this loudly, but her voice came out in a choked whisper.

"He's been in a coma for 36 hours," one of the doctors piped up.

Another doctor eyed Carly sympathetically. "I don't know if there's much we can do."

Carly grabbed Spencer's hand. It was cold and fragile, but she felt a slow, weak pulse.

"Maybe it would be best if you left," a female doctor said quietly.

Carly, choking back tears, nodded. "Come on, Sam."

Sam's face looked stricken. She took Carly's hand again.

"Bye Spencer," Carly said quietly as the girls walked out the door. But nobody heard her.

--

When the girls returned home, Carly collapsed on the sofa. Her body shook with huge sobs. Sam wished she could do something, anything, to take the pain away, but she couldn't.

"What if he dies, Sam? What if he's already—"

Sam grabbed Carly's face in her hands. "Spencer's gonna be okay, Carly. I promise."

Sam's words of reassurance did nothing to ease Carly's pain. They assumed the now-familiar position of lying as close to each other as possible on the couch, and Sam held on tightly to Carly, who shivered as she cried uncontrollably.

For the fifth time that day, Carly's phone vibrated. She pulled it out of her pocket.

"Hello?" Carly tried to hide the fact that she had been crying, but her raw and shaking voice betrayed her.

"Carly? This is your grandfather. I just got a telephone call that Spencer is in critical condition." The old man cleared his throat, as though to stifle a sob.

Carly only sniffled.

"Who have you been staying with the entire time he was in the hospital?"

"S-Sam." Carly glanced at Sam. Sam grabbed Carly's hand and intertwined their fingers.

"No adult?" Carly's grandfather sounded upset. "Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"I was afraid that you would—"

"No, look, it doesn't matter right now," Carly's grandfather cut her off. "You can't be there alone. I'm going to have to drive down to Seattle and pick you up."

"What? How long am I going to have to stay with you?" Carly was scared and furious at the same time, but she tried to keep herself under control.

"I'm sorry, Carly." Her grandfather's voice softened a bit. "You're going to have to move to Yakima with me."


	3. No One

**A/N**- I broke the mushy meter writing this chapter. Also the, uh, hot meter. Just warning ya.

**A/N #2**- Just to notify you of some things I forgot to mention: The title of the story was inspired by the song "I'll Cover You" from RENT. And the chapters are song titles. I'm weird, I know XD Enjoy, R&R, etc. –xoxo, s

"He can't do this to you!" Sam paced the floor of Carly's room. She could barely contain her anger. How could the only person she had ever loved be taken away from her? It just wasn't fair.

"Sam, calm down." Carly sounded resigned. She opened her mouth to say something else, then closed it and shook her head.

"So that's it? You're just going to give up?" Sam sat next to Carly on the bed without touching her. Carly reached out her hand, but Sam pulled away.

"Sam, please. I need you right now," Carly pleaded. "I can't control what's happened…what's happening. You know I don't want to leave you."

Sam looked at Carly. Carly could see the fear, rage, and disappointment in her eyes. Carly once again reached for Sam, this time covering the blonde's hand with hers.

"You know I love you," Carly said softly. "Ever since I first met you, all I ever wanted was to be with you. Everything was so perfect, and then…" Carly looked away.

Sam sighed. "When is your grandfather coming?"

"He said it was too late to leave tonight, because the drive takes a couple hours." Carly stared at the floor.

Sam's tired face broke into a grin. "So…we have a whole night? Just us?"

"I guess. Why?" Carly tore her gaze away from the floor to look questioningly at Sam.

"Well, I was kind of thinking… we could finish what we started on Friday." Sam's hand was on Carly's thigh and she was breathing in her ear.

Carly shivered. "I-I can't…" Carly felt guilty that Sam was turning her on; Spencer was in the hospital, she was leaving tomorrow; there were so many things to worry about…

"Ohh…what are you…?" Carly sighed.

"Shh." Sam had that look on her face, the one that Carly knew well. It was the "I want you" look that Sam often gave Carly during class or when they were with Freddie. But now they were alone, and there was nothing in the way of—

"Oh God," Carly breathed. Both of their shirts were off (_how did that happen?_) and Sam was roughly kissing her neck and jaw.

"Sam, I can't do this, oh my God, I'm going to miss you…" Carly babbled. She was silenced by Sam nibbling on her ear.

"Don't talk," Sam said gently, her fingers dancing over Carly's midsection.

Time passed—whether it was seconds, minutes, or hours Carly didn't know. They were totally lost in each other. Somewhere during their make-out session, Sam had clicked off Carly's phone and, for good measure, shoved it under the bed. Now, Sam's hand was on the button of Carly's jeans, and she gave Carly a questioning look.

Carly had completely forgotten all of the bad things that had happened in the past few days. "Yes…God, yes." Sam and Carly didn't break eye contact.

Before easing the remainder of Carly's clothing off, Sam kissed Carly gently. As she pulled away, Carly grabbed her shoulders. Carly's voice was raspy with desire. "I love you," she whispered in Sam's ear. "So much."

--

Sometime later, both girls were laying next to each other. "That was…" Sam shook her head and smiled. "Just, wow."

Carly grinned and nodded. "I can't believe in just a few hours I'm moving to Yakima." Her smile disappeared as she finished her sentence.

"Where the hell is Yakima, anyway?" Sam asked, playing with Carly's hair.

"It's southeast of Seattle, I think. But the point is, I wouldn't see you, or Spencer, or Freddie…" Sam could tell that Carly was about to break down.

"Let's not talk about it," Sam suggested.

"Sam, I'll be gone in—" Carly grabbed her bedside clock. It read 3:21 am. "—less than six hours. Oh my, God, I'm going to miss you so much…"

"Don't cry, Carly," Sam said gently, stroking Carly's arm.

Carly didn't respond. She just buried her face in the crook of Sam's neck.

In one swift move, Sam straddled Carly and pinned her arms to her sides. Carly, surprised, let out a small yelp.

Sam's voice quivered. "No one," she said quietly, "is ever going to take you away from me."

--

The next morning was a blur. Carly somehow managed to be packed by nine. She couldn't even bear to look at Sam, so they just sat on the couch together, Carly's bag in her lap.

At about 9:30, the doorbell rang. The girls finally looked at each other. They stood up and hugged each other, pulling away when they both felt hot tears stinging their eyes. Carly walked to the door slowly, looking back once. "I love you," Sam mouthed soundlessly, then looked at her own feet to stop herself from breaking down.

"Bye Sam," Carly said, her voice hoarse and strangled. She breathed deeply. Her fingers curled around the doorknob, and she flung the door open.

Standing in front of her was none other than Spencer. He looked like he had lost about twenty pounds, but his eyes had that familiar childlike sparkle. They stared at each other for a moment before Spencer pulled his little sister into a tight hug.

When Sam didn't hear Carly's grandfather, she looked up. She shrieked when she saw Spencer and ran over. She was immediately sucked into the group hug.

"What? How? Why?" Was all Carly could say.

Spencer shook his head. "All I remember is blacking out and then waking up in the middle of the night last night. They wanted to keep me there another week or so, but—"

"Carly, are you—" Carly's grandfather appeared in the doorway. "Spencer! Why are you here?" He looked confused.

"I made them let me out early," Spencer said, not letting go of Carly or Sam.

"Well, I was going to take Carly back home with me, but now I see…" Carly's grandfather looked admiringly at his grandchildren and Sam. "You really do care about Carly, don't you?"

"More than anything," Spencer said, his voice weak but serious.

Carly's grandfather smiled. "Well, I guess I'll be leaving—"

"No, no. please, stay for dinner," Spencer said, finally detaching himself from Carly and Sam.

"I suppose I could stay for a little while."

--

Later that evening, after Carly's grandfather had left and Spencer had fallen asleep, Carly and Sam were in Carly's bedroom. Sam lay on top of Carly, and they felt each other's breathing and heartbeat. After a while, Sam raised herself up a bit so she could look into Carly's eyes. There was that familiar joy and sparkle in them that had been missing for several days.

"I told you," Sam said, smiling widely, "I'll always be there for you."

The End


End file.
